This invention relates to a passenger seat having a seat bottom and seat back that articulate together to provide a more comfortable seating experience for a seated passenger. While the particular embodiment shown and described in this application relates to an aircraft coach class passenger seat, the features of the seat have application in other seating environments.
Aircraft seating is typically divided into various classes, for example first class, business class, and coach or tourist class. For each class of seating, an individual passenger is allotted a preselected amount of space (both area and volume). First-class seats provide the most individual space, and also may include features to improve comfort, such as fully reclining sleeper functions. In contrast, the tourist/coach class is provided with a relatively small amount of space in order to provide the most efficient transportation and lowest cost. However, this space limitation can produce passenger discomfort, particularly in seats having a reclining seat back but without a compensating adjustment of the seat bottom. In these situations, the passenger has a tendency to slide forwardly on the seat bottom, causing discomfort and restlessness, particularly on long flights.
Therefore, there exists a need for a coach class seat that has an efficient and easy-to-operate mechanism that permits simultaneous rearward movement of a seat back assembly with a compensating upward movement of the forward end of the seat bottom so that the passenger maintains a similar angle between the upper and lower body.